Beck: Are Americans "as dumb" as Nigerians?

Summary: In describing Nigeria's new public education campaign to fight the spread of bird flu, radio host Glenn Beck stated that the country has "actually resorted to radio jingles," and then asked if the United States could be "as dumb as Nigeria."

In describing Nigeria's new public education campaign to fight the spread of bird flu, radio host Glenn Beck stated that the country has "actually resorted to radio jingles," and then asked if the United States could be "as dumb as Nigeria." Beck -- who was recently hired by CNN to host a new show on CNN Headline News -- made the comments during the March 16 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show. Beck also commented on the recent breakdown in negotiations for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, declaring: "You know, instead of making -- and showing them [terrorists] that we're afraid, wouldn't you rather say to them, hey, here's a bigger target ... Build the world's largest Target on the top of the World Trade Center!" Beck went on to parody Arabic names, adding, "Go ahead, go ahead -- try to hijack a plane. See how that goes over, Jack -- or Jack Emah, Jack Emah Jock Jack Homah Mustafa Muhammad."

As Media Matters for America has noted, Beck has a track record of making controversial comments. For example, Beck has said he was "thinking about killing [filmmaker] Michael Moore," that "it took [him] about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families," that anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan is "a pretty big prostitute" and that the father of American civilian Nick Berg, who was killed in Iraq, is "despicable" and "a scumbag" for criticizing President Bush.

From the March 16 edition of Premiere Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

BECK: By the way, there's another related bird-death story, this one coming out of Nigeria.

Nigeria is actually thinking that, you know, they need to come up with a way to educate people on how not get the bird flu. Well the only way you get the bird flu is if you're raising birds, and you're, like, touching, you know, chicken crap. You touch chicken crap, and you get the bird flu. Hello. I mean, how hard is that? They've actually resorted to radio jingles. And they are trying to teach -- I mean, are we this stupid? Are we as dumb as Nigeria? If it comes over here, do we have to have a stupid radio jingle to teach you how not to get the bird flu?

[...]

The reason why people why don't want to rent down there [in Manhattan near the Word Trade Center], there's no faith in this project. I mean, what's up with building one tower? I mean, put a building up there and make it a hundred and fifty stories tall, that'll teach the terrorists. I, you know, I gotta tell ya, I admit I feel a little bit like [country singer] Toby Keith here, but --

You know, instead of making -- and showing them there that we're afraid, wouldn't you rather say to them, hey, here's a bigger target, in fact, why don't we open up the world's largest Target on the top floor, so it could stay on the top. Target. Why not? Have the big, red bull's eye. Oh, he didn't mean it that way, it's a department store. Build the world's largest Target on the top of the World Trade Center! Sheez. Go ahead, go ahead -- try to hijack a plane. See how that goes over, Jack -- or Jack Emah, Jack Emah Jock Jack Homah Mustafa Muhammad.

—A.D.